Library Board approves collections and content development strategic plan

The Harvard Library Board recently approved recommendations outlined in “Towards a Collections and Content Development Strategic Plan for the Harvard Library,” fulfilling key recommendations of both the Task Force on the Harvard Libraries and the Library Implementation Working Group.

Collections and content development will remain in the domain of the local or School libraries, with librarians, curators, archivists and faculty throughout the University broadly coordinating efforts in a more structured and deliberate way. Producing the final report for the board’s approval was the responsibility of the Affinity Group heads, working with the executive director for the Harvard Library, following extensive consultation with Library staff members, faculty, researchers and other key stakeholders. Feedback on interim reports was gathered from working groups, community-wide discussion sessions, Affinity Group meetings, online fora, one-on-one meetings and members of the Library Board and Faculty Advisory Council. Comments were gathered and assessed, then incorporated into the final report.

Helen Shenton, executive director for the Harvard Library, said, “With a University-wide collection development strategic plan in place, the Library is positioned to support the changing needs of Harvard’s scholars in an even more robust way. It has been a privilege to help steer this inaugural Harvard Library strategy to unanimous approval by the Harvard Library Board. I am enormously proud of the way the Affinity Group heads worked together to produce this well-written and nuanced report, and look forward to seeing the recommendations implemented.”